This afternoon, January 6, racist and reactionary supporters of President Trump followed up a rally at the White House by marching and seizing the U.S. capitol building. Egged on by Trump, they brought to an end to the congressional certification of the election. An armed standoff took place outside the House chamber. The media has been filled with images of Trump supporters occupying offices of congresspeople. New developments are taking place with the passage of every hour.
There is no doubt that capitol police and security forces allowed the reactionary mob to take over the building – and that if it were the case of protesters under a “Black lives matter” banner, or revolutionaries, doing the same thing, police would have unleashed a bloodbath. The reason these racists got a far as they did was because they had support from the White House and many others in power.
The racist and fascist grouping had made it clear that they were coming to DC from across the country at Trump’s request. They joined the “Save America” rally and brought their guns with them. Any time these racist and reactionary forces show themselves they need to be opposed. This scum represents anti-democratic and determined advocates of racist discrimination. They think their votes should count, but not those African Americans and other oppressed nationalities – who were crucial to Trump’s defeat at the polls.
Freedom Road Socialist Organization has been helping to organize and build the movement against Trump since day one. We helped to lead the mass march on his nomination at the Republican National Convention in 2016, and we have been helping to spearhead opposition to his agenda every step of the way. Trump should be removed from power. Now. And everything he does should be opposed until that happens. We also need to be alert to any attempt to use these events to curtail our democratic rights, including those guaranteed by the Second Amendment.
This attempt to keep Trump in power says a lot about the direction this country heading in. The U.S. empire is eroding, and monopoly capitalism is a sick and dying system, and its failed political representatives were front and center in Washington DC today. It is imperative that all of us who yearn for better future act. We need to stay in the streets and fight for an agenda that represents the interests of the people. The road ahead will be a difficult one, but the future is bright!
